WELCOME TO THE 2016-2017 TECHBRICK SEASON

TechBrick FRC is partially funded through a generous grant from BOEING.

TechBrick, formed in early 2003, is an independent robotics and STEM education club for home-schooled, public, and private school students in Harford, Baltimore, and Cecil counties. We have more than 100 active registrations with weekly meetings of children and parents (who are encouraged to stay and participate). Our teams have participated in numerous championships both regionally and at Worlds.

Why this program is critical to your child’s future: The club runs under a program called FIRST, founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen (of Segway Scooter fame) and Woodie Flowers from MIT. Their goal was to create a program in which young students, with a strong interest in technology and engineering, could get the same type of encouragement that students get in organized sports. It is these types of programs that will provide our future engineers.

There are no prerequisites. We are looking for students, ages 5 through HS Seniors, eager to learn engineering at all levels, willing to focus on a very complex task, and engage in building a world-class robot and team. Our facility now features 3D printers, computer aided design machines, and range of related tools and technology. No previous skills or training are required.

TechBrick FLL, FTC, and FRC are partially funded through a generous grant from NDEP.

The FIRST program and competitions provide one of the best platforms for young people to get excited about the challenges and rewards of engineering: They are pushed to the limit on every level: project management, design, research, testing, strategic- planning, and more. We expect to look back four or five years from now and see many of our early participants in the workplace providing the innovative solutions we need to maintain our competitive edge.

We Offer These Programs

FRC: Large, complex robots weighing up to 120 pounds that compete on basketball size court, six at a time. A sophisticated materials-handling challenge that requires teams to corral, manipulate, score in cooperation with other teams. FRC teams use advanced robotics and building techniques to design and construct large, complex robots using a wide array of industrial tools and resource. FRC includes a substantial outreach and communications effort that includes publications, speaking, and photography/video. For more info see: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc

FTC: Smaller robots, 18” cube at start that compete on a12x12 foot field, with two alliances of two robots. A sophisticated materials-handling challenge that requires teams to corral, manipulate, score in cooperation with other teams. FTC Teams use a new TETRIX robotics system and advanced robotics and building techniques to design and construct smaller, complex robots using a wide array of industrial tools and resource. For more info see: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc

SeaPerch: SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips teachers and students with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in an in-school or out-of-school setting. For more info see: http://seaperch.org